seashell ornamentations

You will notice after awhile that I am personally drawn to things with a history, tons of texture, and great composition. It makes collecting things more conversational. I like things that you can’t find everywhere.

decorating for boys

I find it especially hard to decorate rooms for young boys. I decided to go English with my son Preston’s room. Turn-of-the-century leather-bound books add patina and are great for stacking and placing props on. Vintage signs and ships add great color as well as texture. Old trophy’s are great vases and the silver finish is nice with antique book bindings.

antique architectural fragments

Anytime I go antique shopping, I am always on the look-out for antique fragments of any kind. The crustier the better. They make the perfect accent to any bookcase or tabletop display. I love the texture they add as well as the fact that they are fairly inexpensive to collect, and they look fabulous!

epicurean collecting

We love to entertain friends at home and have dinner parties. I use beautiful antique epicurean pieces to add character to our table. I thought the cobalt blue glass on these particular salt holders was outstanding.

laurel wreaths

When I went to Italy for the first time, I started collecting Laurel Wreaths(Laurus Nobilis). They date back to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Olympics and Pythian games. The aim was to publicly crown the winner with a Wreath of Laurel. People graduating from college would also receive laurel wreaths to recognize their high honors.

fragments made into lighting

I love taking beautiful things out of context and finding new ways to use them. I found these wood fragments at an antique shop and thought they were fabulous. I wanted to preserve their aged beauty, so I made a mold of the original wood fragments and used the duplicates for my experimentation.

dressing tables

I cannot imagine anything more glamorous than a dressing table. I love to collect vintage silver and crystal, and what better way is there to display them than on a dressing table! The fabric is from Fortuny, truly the most fabulous fabric there is. Fortuny is hand made fabric from Florence and only looks better with age. The mirror is venetian and the walls are covered in raw silk. The lamps are made from antique silver candle sticks I purchased at a flea market.

torchiers

I love bringing English Garden materials into a home. The mix of textures makes things so much interesting. Here is a wonderful 19th century garden statue of Venus. I bought it from an English estate. The Torchieres are 18th Century Italian.